A True Hero
by kopiella
Summary: During a practice session with the little league team, Danny ties up loose ends with a once troubled Marine. An ATC of sorts for season one episode "King of the Hill."


_Smack!_

A baseball flew through the air. Cheers erupted from a happy bunch of kids, and the coach. The bat was tossed behind the the boy who had hit the ball. The little Hawaiian's feet pounded against the ground as he thundered towards first base. His heart was racing to the beat of his feet, and he nearly collapsed when he finally reached his destination.

The coach, who was standing next to first base grinned and helped the boy up.

"That was great, Joey!" Danny Williams praised, and gave Joey a high-five.

Joey was beaming from ear to ear at the praise he had received. He flashed Danny another toothy grin before running back over to the team who was gathered up in a group, waiting for him. They began cheering again as he joined them.

Danny laughed at his team's antics, and made his way over to them.

"Okay, guys," He said, his voice had traces of laughter still in it. "Let's get back to practice. Why don't you guys partner up and go play catch for a while?"

The boys looked around at each other, before each one made eye contact with another boy and they ran off with balls and gloves.

Danny watched them for a moment, before making his way back to the dugout. He sat down on the bench, and clutched his stomach which had began to hurt again. He knew he shouldn't be surprised. Doc Bergman had informed him that he was going to have pains in his stomach area for some time after his release from the hospital.

Danny closed his eyes, and took several deep breaths before reopening his eyes, only to find them focused on the man who was accidentally responsible for his stomach pains: Corporal John T. Auston.

Danny was surprised to see him. He knew that Auston had had a date with the President to be decorated for what he had done back in Vietnam –Danny had still been in the hospital during that time, and had never been able to let Auston know personally that he didn't have any hard feelings and that nothing Auston had done was his fault. He was merely reliving the worst day of his life, and you really couldn't hold him responsible for his actions.

When Danny had woken up in Recovery, Steve McGarrett had been right by his side. Steve had relayed some of the details of the horrible day back to Danny. Dan had been able to tell that his boss was leaving out certain things, and he had been right. Kono and Chin-Ho had come to visit him after Steve had been temporarily kicked out of the hospital, and ordered to go home for a shower and fresh clothes. While he was gone, Kono and Chin-Ho told him of Steve's behavior, which had apparently been just like a maniac.

From the get-go, Danny never blamed Auston for anything. After he had heard the story of what had happened, he asked to see Auston, but Auston had left already for the White House.

Auston had woken up in a hospital room, completely in his right mind. He remembered everything that had happened, and went to see the detective he had shot numerous times, but Danny hadn't yet woken up since he had gone into surgery.

Danny smiled at the corporal, and offered a weak wave. "Hello Auston."

Auston cleared his throat, and nodded at the detective. "Mr. Williams,"

"You can call me Danny, if you want," Danny said, prying his hand away from his abdomen, and trying not to wince in pain again.

"Only if you call me John," Auston said, walking up into the dugout, and stopping in the doorway.

"Okay, John."

Auston looked down, and shifted his weight around. He took a deep breath before looking back at Danny. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for what happened. I know that it isn't much of an excuse, but I just didn't know what I was doing. I feel awful for what happened." He chuckled dryly, before sobering up again. "Who knew you could relive something like that?"

Danny shook his head, refusing Auston's apology. "I can't accept your apology John, because it just wasn't your fault. I wanted to tell you that after I woke up, but they told me you had already left. I wanted –no I still want you to know that I don't hold you responsible for what happened. You're right, you didn't know what you were doing. You thought you were back in Vietnam, you can't be held accountable for those actions."

Auston's face showed signs of disagreement. "I still caused you to get hurt, and lose time in your life to recover. That is my fault, and you can't deny that."

"Well I can deny it, and I am. Yes, you shot me and I did have to recover, but I'd prefer that to have been me. What if you had hit your head and wasn't rushed to the hospital. You might have seriously hurt someone else who wouldn't have been as lucky as we were to be in a hospital. It's just something that happens. I don't want you to feel like you are responsible for everything that happened. It's over and done. As one of my colleagues would say, 'Pau'."

John seemed to consider Danny's words. "You really don't hold any hard feelings for me?" Auston seemed to be still having doubts.

"No. I don't and no body else does. The only person who thinks your accountable for your actions, is you. The sooner you realize you weren't responsible for your actions, the better life you can lead. You are a hero John and you did what you could on that hill in Vietnam, and you did all you could for me in the hospital given your state of mind. And for that, I want to thank you. It's a rare thing to find someone who really is a true hero."

Auston seemed humbled by Danny's words. "I-I...thank you, Danny."

Danny smiled at him. "Anytime."

Auston looked back at the boys who were still playing catch in the field. "Would you mind if I joined in on practice?" Auston looked at Danny, a small smirk appearing on his face and a twinkle returning to his eyes.

Danny grinned. "Sure John, as long as you promise to stay away from the bats!" Danny got up from the bench, and walked out of the dugout with Auston by his side.

Auston laughed heartily. "That is the best piece of advice I'll ever follow."

As the pair walked off in the direction of a group of boys, a hidden observer smiled to himself.

_Yes, _Steve McGarrett thought, _everything is going to be fine now._

**H50**

Thanks for reading!


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